When a movie begins anything and everything is possible. It is the magical moment when a movie-goer's anticipation and a movie-maker's promise first meet. An opening doesn't have to sell the movie-trailers do that—but it does thrill, soothe, explain or seduce.

Curated and presented by CBC film critic Rick Staehling, START THE SHOW examines the evolution of the opening sequence from the charming, hand-painted title card for THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903) to the outrageous opening credits for Gaspar Noé's IRREVERSIBLE (2002). Meet the unsung innovators who changed how films begin, the big-name directors who control even the first frames of their films, and see a variety of openings—some as famous as the movies they introduce.